EFC Chair, Catherine McKeown, on Why Canada’s Electrical Industry Is Entering a New Era

June 11, 2026

As I begin my term as Chair of EFC, I believe our industry is entering an important new chapter. The theme of this year’s conference, WaveMakers, captured that moment well.

Electrification is reshaping economies, infrastructure, industry, and daily life faster than most of us could have imagined even a few years ago.

Our industry is entering a new era of visibility and responsibility.

For many years, much of what we did happened quietly in the background. If everything worked, few people noticed. Today, conversations around electrification, energy resilience, AI, data centres, grid modernization, domestic manufacturing, trade, and supply chains have become part of mainstream discussion.

I do not know about all of you, but I have had more conversations about grid capacity and tariffs at social events over the last year than at any other point in my career. And honestly, I am still adjusting to that.

But it tells us something important.

The work represented across EFC’s membership is increasingly central to how economies grow, how infrastructure evolves, how countries compete, and how Canada positions itself for the future.

That shift is also changing the nature of EFC’s work.

Over the past year, EFC has continued to elevate its focus on government relations, grid modernization, domestic manufacturing, and supply chain readiness because our industry is increasingly being called upon to help address very practical questions around infrastructure, delivery, and execution.

Canada’s electricity demand is projected to increase by 65% by 2050 (source). At the same time, utilities and industry partners are navigating longer lead times for critical equipment, rising infrastructure costs, and increasing pressure to modernize grids while maintaining affordability and reliability.

EFC has responded by helping bring industry, policymakers, and regulators together around practical solutions. Through the Make the Switch initiative, advocacy related to tariffs and trade, engagement on EV infrastructure and grid readiness, and research on Canada’s future electricity grid, EFC is helping ensure this industry has a strong and credible voice as governments move from planning to implementation.

What I personally find inspiring is seeing how much EFC’s role has evolved over time. Through my years of involvement with the organization, I have watched it grow from a traditional industry association into a much more strategic industry platform helping shape conversations around electrification, competitiveness, infrastructure, and economic growth.

And I believe that evolution reflects what is happening across the industry itself. We are no longer simply supporting the economy quietly in the background. Increasingly, we are helping enable what comes next.

As I begin my term as Chair, my focus is clear: to help EFC continue strengthening its voice with government, support members as they navigate increasingly complex market conditions, and ensure EFC remains a place where leaders from across the value chain can come together not just to discuss the future, but to help shape it.

Because when this industry moves together, we do not just respond to change. We help create the momentum behind it.

The work ahead will require collaboration, innovation, and long-term thinking, and I am confident this industry is well positioned to help lead that transformation.

Catherine McKeown
Chief People Officer, Hammond Power Solutions
Chair, Electro-Federation Canada